Speaking as the atheist adult child of a inerrantist minister, several of the commenters on Tony Jones’ post are triggering my slap reflex. I can’t tell what’s more annoying. The delicate flower who thinks that it’s Jones’ post and not Piper’s theology that would make Piper’s children uncomfortable or the ones who have no grasp of logic. I give Jones credit for being about to be civil about the stupid.

Nathaniel

Damn, sorry about that. For whatever a internet commentator’s condolence is worth. I myself have very close relationships with both my mother and father, and simply cannot imagine having them believe doomed to eternal torment. And deserving it.

re:viagra: wouldn’t viagra (and similar drugs) allow rapists to rape women? I think that is an argument we should make and ask that it be regulated accordingly. Make men prove they will be using it in consensual (married) sexual encounters, etc. Call them sluts if they refuse.

Nathaniel

Just call them rapists. Being a slut is a compliment for many men.

Anonymous

Well, certainly with my experience in the bars of my little town in SW Montana, I would certainly be more inclined to visit the bar with the pastor-bouncer.

Well I have to say that I can understand why women feel oppressed because that’s some hateful degrading shit.

Mau de Katt

“Well, well, well. Isn’t that interesting? It seems that the Bible doesn’t mean exactly what it says. It seems that the Bible has to be interpreted.”

Funny how inerrantists support inerrantism only when it says what they want it to say.

Mau de Katt

re: the very last link — damn, Mohamed Wazir lost six of his kids. And that doesn’t get any coverage.

cyllan

I wonder if there’s anyway to send a letter of condolence. I don’t know if it would mean anything — or if there is anyone near to this area who could even translate such a letter, but it seems…the least we could do.

I
can’t tell what’s more annoying, the delicate flower who thinks that
it’s Jones’ post and not Piper’s theology that would make Piper’s
children uncomfortable or the ones who have no grasp of logic. I give
Jones credit for being civil about the stupid.

Holy crap, yes. I wanted to hit my head against the keyboard reading that discussion.

I guess that’s a perfect illustration of both tone-trolling and what happens when you let the map dictate reality, rather than doing things the right way ’round…

Anonymous

Funny how inerrantists support inerrantism only when it says what they want it to say.

No no no. One of the commenters helpfully explained the difference:

“Of course the Bible has to be interpreted, but it has to be interpreted CORRECTLY, genius.”

Glad that’s cleared up.

Ferlith

Most of these links are either saddening or rage-inducing, but I have to admit I am deriving some joy from imagining all the fans of Left Behind being informed that the GOP is taking its cues on reproductive rights from a communist Romanian politician named Nicolae.

…Actually, that sounds like a good idea for an ad campaign.

Anonymous

“Santorum … states: “The other thing we need to do is eradicate, and that’s the final thing. As I said, this is going to be a long war (against Muslims).” OK, that’s just creepy. I’m trying really hard not to bring in Godwin’s law here but Santorum is making it very difficult.

And I’m glad somebody brought in the Romania link. I still remember reading an article about Ceacescu’s campaign to make his unfortunate people reproduce. The body of a woman who died as a result of an illegal abortion was put on display in the village square and her neighbours were forced to go and look at her. That would make a nice little postscript to Republican notions of sex education ~ “Abstinence only! Because THIS is what happens to Godless, baby-killing sluts!”

Don’t be silly; Santorum isn’t like Hitler. The world population of Muslims is 100 times larger than the world population of Jews. Santorum is like hectohitler.

But seriously. Yeah. Santorum no longer seems like a joke to me so much as an existential threat. I’m *scared* of what will happen if he wins the nomination.

Lori

hectohitler

I know I shouldn’t laugh, but I can’t help it.

I’m *scared* of what will happen if he wins the nomination.

I have mixed feelings about him getting the nomination. On one hand I don’t see any way that he can win the general election. He’s like a one man CREEP*. On the other hand, I have some concern that the people who are whackadoo enough to vote for him in the primaries will really go off the deep end if he gets the nom and then loses. At least part of Santorum’s base is made up of the sort of folks who are not gracious losers and tend toward the violent when thwarted.

See, he should* be a joke, a surefire way to lose the general election. But if he gets the nomination, the party will fall in line behind him. Grudgingly, perhaps, but they *will* fall in line. Something like 40% of republicans believe that Obama is an illegal usurper. And with rhetoric like Santorum’s, how can we rule out the possibility of his supporters using violence to suppress the vote in “unamerican” areas?

Look, since we’ve already gone full Godwin — if you were to describe Hitler’s political platform, we’d all go “Yeah, obvviously anyone who ran on that platform would lose in a landslide.” But we’ve got pretty solid evidence that it can go either way. Between the people who will vote for anyone with an (R), the people who will vote for anyone who isn’t black, and those Santorum can convince that he’ll drive out the liberals, muslims, atheists, and feminazis, and lead america to a golden age of prosperity with no taxes or shameful medical treatment for sluts, it’s not nearly a sure thing.

Lori

it’s not nearly a sure thing.

There are no sure things in politics, but Santorum losing come November is pretty close. If he gets the nomination Republicans who vote will vote for him, but he’s not going to inspire a record turn-out on the Right. Even if they all do show up on election day you can’t win with just the Rs. He’s not going to pull the Independents in any numbers and he’s probably the best thing that could happen to Democratic turn out. Romney might be able to pull in Dems who are unhappy with Obama, but Santorum the woman-hating, homophobic, theocratic, Crusade-mongering nutbar isn’t going to. He’d be an even worse president than Shrub was, which is really saying something since 43 was easily bottom 5 ever.

Anonymous

I’m more worried about what Lori mentioned above – he’s appealing, very strongly, to the most violent rhetoric he can, and whether Santorum is in full control of his mind or not, I really doubt all of his supporters are. I mean, most of his policies are so far off the cliff it’d be absurd, if he wasn’t actually serious.

But enough Republicans are also women that he probably isn’t going to get anywhere with the general election. I mean, even if you agree with every policy of his except birth control, his stance there is so extreme you can’t really see past it. Likewise with… everything he’s got. The man is a menace, and enough Republicans out there are not, that I think the most likely response is either a blank ballot or not showing up.

And then crying foul the next morning.

Lori

GQ has revealed the Secret Service code names that Romeny & Santorum chose for themselves. Santorum’s is Petrus. That would be an illusion to Peter, who in Catholic tradition was the first Pope. I assume he neither knows nor cares why that’s hugely inappropriate.

I don’t think he’ll get the nomination, what I’m wondering is if he’s zealot enough to go third party which would both throw the election to Obama and completely end his political career. One can only hope

Tricksterson

The problem with that theory is that those are not seperate groups, in fact the second and third are basically identical and there’s a huge overlap with the first.

Tricksterson

I wonder if the younger Obama daughters code name means that she’s the reincarnation of Orson Wells.